Doing more with less: multiple uses of a single slide in veterinary cytology. A practical approach

Abstract

Veterinary cytology faced a remarkable evolution in the last 15 years, in part due to increase recognition of the advantages of the cytology by veterinary clinicians. Simultaneously, there has been a growing awareness by the owners about the importance of a complete diagnostic workup aimed at defining a proper treatment protocol. With the extended use of cytology, challenging diagnostic cases are more frequent, and more clinically useful answers are requested. In this scenario, the use of cytology specimens to perform ancillary techniques is a valid approach. Rather than being simply archived, cytology slides can be a valuable source and a good platform to carry out cytochemistry, immunocytochemistry, and molecular techniques. Therefore, several diagnostic techniques can be applied in tiny samples, thus following the “doing more with less” principle. The aim of this approach is to refine the cytologic diagnosis and provide additional prognostic and therapeutic information. Herein, we detailed this principle in veterinary cytology and reviewed the use of cytology specimens for ancillary techniques as a single procedure, i.e., using the whole slide, or multiple procedures, i.e., multiple procedures applied in the same slide. Graphical abstract

Detection of Lymphoid Markers (CD3 and PAX5) for Immunophenotyping in Dogs and Cats: Comparison of Stained Cytology Slides and Matched Cell Blocks

“…Using fresh, unstained samples is often impossible, as there are not enough slides available. It may even compromise the diagnosis if poor-quality slides (misjudged as adequate before staining) are used in the immunostaining [ 10 , 33 ]. Nowadays, there is some evidence that RSC can be used for assessing different immunomarkers [ 33 ], including lymphoid markers, at least in dogs [ 10 ].…”